People ask, "what did you like most about Burma?" It's truly hard to say, Mandalay was very special and the day we went to the two century old U-Bein teak bridge on Taungtaman Lake was GREAT - we took five boat rides that day! At the bridge (at sunset) we walked out on the bridge and rode a rowboat back to shore.

We started the day at a local coffee shop recommended by our guide (named Aye). He lives in Mandalay and knows all the spots!

We went on to the Ayayarwaddy Jetty to meet our first boat. A lot of squatters live along the river, some are temporary as their homes have been flooded out. They will return as soon as the water recedes.

It's always good to see kids playing in spite of their circumstances.

A family of three live on the boat. The first mate is on the bow releasing the bow line and deploying the bow thruster. You know we loved this ride!

Here's the little girl!

AND dad is in the wheelhouse.

Our destination was Mingun.

Here we took a oxen taxi to the Pathodawgyi Pagoda.

Here I am with Aye walking around the unfinished work of King Bodawpaya (left).

Another attraction of Mingon is a very large bell (right) that is the second in size to a bell in Moscow. It weighs 90 tons and was cast in 1808 by King Bodawpaya to be part of the Pathodawgyi Pagoda.

An additional attraction in the area is the Myatheindan Pagoda built by King Bagyidaw in 1816. It was built as a memorial for his wife, princess Hsinbyume. The wavy terraces around the central stupa represent the seven oceans. Scott's feet were killing him (because of the barefoot rule in the pagodas), so he sat this one out.

The river trip was pleasant and fascinating. Many people live along the river on raised houses.

Of course, we always like to see people using wind power (right).

Scenes along the jetty (left & right).

The homes on the left are in Mandalay amid all other kinds of structures - and on the right a subdivision outside the city. There were dozens of these homes in this project.

We took this boat to the Kingdom of Ava. You can see how strong the current is in this tributary (left).

In spite of breaking down the ferry got us successfully across the river to our pony cart taxi (right)  to Aungmyaybonza Monastery (left).

The young lady (right) and the tunnel views (left)  are from the Aungmyaybonza Monastery.

I don't know what ;to say about all these beautiful shots from U-Bein's bridge. It was the end of a fabulous day in Mandalay!!!

If you know Scott, he doesn't want to miss anything, so...we went to a local live performance (right). It was pretty funny even without understanding the language! A silly ending to a great day!